To awaken the society towards national ethos and endeavour, it is a prerequisite that our intellectuals and thinkers get rid of the ill-effects of the colonial thought and mindset. These ill-effects emanating from the colonial era has engulfed our minds and made us self-abominating, confused and murky, said RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohanji Bhagwat in his annual Vijaya Dashmi speech at Nagpur.
He cited the example of Sister Nivedita who in spite of being foreigner integrated with eternal values and Sanskarasof Bharatiya people.
Nation and Nationalism:
Talking about concept of nation and nationalism, he said our existence as Rashtra is based on Sanskriti and people, which is entirely different from the nation-state concept rooted in power.
Our eternal life values that envision humanity as a global family, is our collective bonding spirit.
Life vision of nationhood takes shape through collective experiences we have gained on this land from the time immemorial, collective efforts we have taken and collective understanding and realisation of the Truth obtained from those experiences.
Acceptance of Yoga and our approach towards environment at global stage is testimony to richness of our ancient heritage and value it hold for global well being.
External and Internal Security Threats:
Mohanji praised the government’s handling of Doklam issue with China and said Bharat’s determined stand has been visible in incidents like Doklam on borders as well as in international diplomacy.
On rising Islamic violence in Bengal and Kerala, the respective state governments are apathetic to this serious national crisis and are also lending a helping hand to the anti-national forces for petty political interests. He urged the Union Government to take necessary steps to foil these nefarious designs.
Rohingya Crisis:
We must remember that in the name of humanity we mustn’t forget that our humanity is threatened.
Rohingyas are being chased away from Myanmar mainly due to their continuous violent and criminal separatist activities and linkages with the terrorist groups.
Any decision regarding them should be taken by keeping in mind that they will definitely be a threat to national security and integrity, he cautioned.
Gau Raksha
He condemned violence in the name of gauraksha and said rearing of a cow is not a matter of religion alone.
We must look at the issue of cow protection beyond religion. In our Sanskriti, cow is an article of reverence. Cow protection is also included in Directive Principles of our Constitution.
It is unfair to link the cow protectors or entire activity of Cow protection with violent incidences or communal feelings without knowing or neglecting the facts.
Many followers of Muslim faith are also involved in the activity of cow protection, cow promotion and management of gaushalas. Some of them told me that the nefarious campaign going on against the cow-protection unnecessarily creates tension among the people of different religions.”
Economy
On the economic situation, Mohanji said that the interests of small, medium industries and self-employed businesses should be protected as they make the ‘biggest contribution’ to the economy. They are also our security net during the ups and downs in the global trade and economic earthquakes.
While reforming and cleaning the economic systems, it should be kept in mind that these sectors should feel the minimum heat and ultimately they should get the maximum strength.
There are many provisions at the Union and State levels for the benefit of deprived sections of the society like Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Nomadic Tribes etc. Those benefits should reach to everyone from these sections. Government and administration should be alert and sensitive to this.
He appreciated schemes like crop insurance, soil testing and e-marketing introduced by the incumbent government. He said measures like farmer loan waivers are ‘signs of sensitivity and goodwill’ but also cautioned that these temporary measures are ‘not solution to the problem’.
Farming
He urged the governments to ensure farmers get the minimum price with a profit range over his investment. The purchases of crops based on the support price will have to be ensured by the Government.
Organic farming, mixed farming and farming with cow-based animal husbandry should become a new trend. The chemical farming that is poisoning our food, water and soil and also increasing the expenditure of farmers should be slowly done away with.
Irrigation system is another important prerequisite for successful farming. We have to comprehensively think about the scientific management of the entire amount of water resources received every year.
He also offered condolences to the victims of the stampede in Mumbai yesterday. “We all empathise with the families of our brethren who have lost their lives and those who have got injured in yesterday’s incident at Mumbai,” he said.
